EXCLUSIVE: Gyllene Tider, the 1980s Swedish pop sensation, is to get the film and television biopic treatment.
The group, which was fronted by Per Gessle, who later went on to form Roxette, has struck a deal with Nordic drama production company Nevis Productions to make a theatrical movie and a TV series based on the band’s rise to fame.
Gessle and Mats Persson formed the group in 1978 with Micke Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon and they had a number of hits including Himmel No. 7 / Flickorna pa TV2 before breaking up in 1984.
The feature film, which is being written by Wallander and Miss Friman’s War’s Pernilla Oljelund, will tell the story of how five teenagers captured the heart of the Swedish nation. The biopic charts the story of Per, a small-town, ambitious misfit who dreams of pop stardom and finds a brotherhood through music with MP, Micke, Anders and Göran, and they experience the highs and lows of experiencing the impossible: overnight stardom and fan hysteria, which neither the teenagers nor their families are prepared for.
The film will start shooting in 2022 and will be produced by Nevis principals Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Moa Westeson and Cindy Hanson. It will be followed by a separate television series.
Nevis is backed by London-based Nevision and has a slate that includes projects such as Wake, written by UK scribe Jamie Brittain (Skins), produced with Jacob Raben and The Bridge actress Sofia Helin.
Per Gessle said,: “The story of the guys in Gyllene Tider could be the story of any young small town person. The shaky possibilities after finishing school, the uncertain prospects of the future. However, inspired by the new wave and power pop scene of the era, bonding in our tiny rehearsal shack, we found a very unusual way to grow up. The early and crazy Gyllene Tider years changed our lives forever. And it seems we might have changed some other people’s lives as well along the way. The lads and I are all excited to be part of this production.”
Nevis’ Moa Westeson added, “We have long dreamed of dramatising the exceptional, inspirational story behind legendary Swedish pop band Gyllene Tider and are excited to bring the audience along on this fun, uplifting whirlwind celebration of music, friendship and coming of age that captures the zeitgeist of a bygone era.”
